


Christmas Invite

by sophh



Series: Keep Taking My Breath Away: Inktober 2020 [12]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bumping into someone, F/M, Fluff, Fremione - Freeform, Hogsmeade, Old crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophh/pseuds/sophh
Summary: Hermione runs into an old crush in Hogsmeade.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley
Series: Keep Taking My Breath Away: Inktober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947601
Comments: 8
Kudos: 49





	Christmas Invite

**Author's Note:**

> Day 12: slippery

Hermione hurried out of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, pausing only to tuck a strand of bushy brown hair behind her ear. Her arms were laden with ivory-colored stationery and several fine quills, the spoils of her visit. She turned and headed in the direction of The Leaky Cauldron, taking purposeful strides. She was eager for a bottle of butterbeer to warm her insides. 

So intent was she to reach the pub that she didn't see the ice patch of present on the cobblestone street. Her foot made contact with it and she careened forward in a flurry of stationery and quills, bumping into a red-haired man as she did so. 

"I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, then did a double-take. The man had freckles and a very familiar, mischievous grin on his face. "Fred? Fred Weasley?" 

She felt her heart rate spike as he steadied her with his arm. She had fancied Fred back at Hogwarts, but he had never seemed to notice her as anything more than Ron's friend. 

"Watch out for the ice there, Hermione, it's slippery," he said, smiling. 

Hermione nodded, blushing. "Yes, thank you, I will definitely be more careful." She took a few steps to the right, out of the street. 

"Good." Fred waved his wand and restored her purchases to her arms. 

"And...thank you again," she said, her face growing even more warm. 

He nodded at the newly neatened stack of stationery. "You coming from Scrivenshaft's, then?" 

"Yes. I was in need of some new stationery." Hermione paused, then asked, "So, what brings you to Hogsmeade? I thought you were out of the country, recuperating from your injuries." 

Fred had been gravely injured in the Battle of Hogwarts and sent away to receive the best medical attention possible. Hermione had thought about him occasionally over the years, but as she and Ron had fallen out shortly after Voldemort's defeat, she hadn't felt much like associating with the Weasleys to ask how he was doing. 

"Oh, I was," he said jovially. "Just got back about a week ago. Mum's been coddling me something dreadful, though, and I simply had to get away." 

Hermione laughed, completely unsurprised by his mother's behavior. "I'm glad. You look...you look well." 

"As do you," Fred said, taking in her appearance with an intensity that surprised her. She reached up with one hand to adjust her pale pink scarf while she tried to think of something else to say. Thankfully, Fred saved her with his next comment. "So how are you these days, Hermione?" 

"Fine," she answered quickly. "Working, you know..." 

She trailed off. There wasn't much else to update him on. Her life mostly revolved around work and whatever book she was enjoying at that moment, and she didn't feel it was necessary to fill Fred in on her latest reading material.

"Anyway," she continued, "how have you been? Are you back in England for good?" 

She told herself that she was only asking to be polite, but she was hoping that he would say yes. A moment later, he replied in the affirmative, and her face broke out in a smile. 

"That's great, Fred." 

"Yeah. It'll be nice to be home for Christmas." 

Hermione's expression turned wistful. Christmas at the Burrow had always been so much fun. She could recall looking forward to it every year, before she and Ron had gone their separate ways. 

"Do you have any plans for the holidays?" Fred asked suddenly. 

She blinked. "Oh, erm, I suppose Harry might pop over for a bit, but other than that...no." Her response sounded pathetic even to her own ears. 

Fred looked at her curiously. "You won't be round the Burrow, then?"

"Oh." Hermione's brow furrowed. "Didn't you know—Ron didn't—"

"I know you and Ron aren't on speaking terms, but I didn't realize that meant you were uninvited to Christmas," Fred chuckled. 

"I wasn't _uninvited,_ I just... don't think that my presence would be terribly appreciated," she said, sounding more defensive than she would have liked. 

"Now that is patently false," Fred declared. _"I_ would appreciate your presence." 

Hermione felt her face go red again, and she ducked her head slightly to cover it. "You're just saying that." 

"I'm not," he insisted, reaching out to gently lift her chin. His hand was cold, but his touch made her skin feel red-hot. "I would really like it if you came, Hermione." 

"But...why?" The question had left her lips before she could stop it. 

"Because I've missed you," Fred said simply. 

Hermione couldn't quite wrap her brain around that explanation, but she didn't let on. "Well, maybe I could come by another time—"

"Hermione." The exasperation in his voice cut her off. 

"Yes?"

"All that stuff about you being the brightest witch of your age can't be true if you can't figure out what I'm doing here," he said.

"What—what do you mean?" Hermione shifted the stationery in her arms. "It seems to me that you're trying to get me to come over for Christmas." 

"Yeah…" Fred said slowly. "You don't see the significance of that?" 

Hermione bit her lip, puzzling over his question. Eventually, she was forced—quite reluctantly—to concede that she had no idea. 

"Now that all us kids are a bit older, it's a time when we bring our significant others around," Fred said, placing particular emphasis on the words "significant others."

"Oh," Hermione said faintly. "But we're not dating…"

"Well, no," Fred said. "Not _yet,_ anyway."

Hermione nearly dropped her stack of stationery. "Fred Weasley, are you saying we should—are you asking me out?" 

Part of her tried to remain cautious, to remember that this could just be a joke, but she acknowledged that there was an even bigger part of her that wanted it to be real. 

"Took you long enough," he grumbled, but he didn't sound too disgruntled. "So, what do you say, Miss Granger? Will you go on a date with me, and also be my guest at Christmas?"

Ever rational, Hermione quickly tallied up the pros and cons. As far as cons went, Ron would be most displeased, of course, but it wasn't as though he had any say in what she did. On the pros side, she definitely wanted to go on a date with Fred and attend the Burrow's Christmas celebrations. The redhead was still waiting for her response, so she quickly blurted out, "Yes! I say yes."

"Great." Fred flashed her a radiant grin. "I'll owl you." 

"Right." Hermione smiled back. "I look forward to that." 

The redhead bid her goodbye and started off towards Zonko's Joke Shop, where he had apparently been heading when she ran into him. She watched him for a moment, feeling a sort of elation that made her forget the cold December air around her. Fred Weasley had just asked her out! It felt like an early Christmas miracle, and as she continued on towards The Leaky Cauldron, she couldn't hide the small spring in her step. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've fallen so far behind on these but I'm hoping to catch up soon!


End file.
